Birds of a Feather [COMPLETED]

Lyre · Jun 15, 2017

Dungeon Master

Druuk Island ○ Spring ○ Birds of a Feather

The Phoenix perched on the mountaintop, preening and pruning its feathers on the topmost layer of rock, sleet, and grey stone. As it scratched itself with a sharp claw, a stray quill fell from its plumage and deftly floated down, gently landing onto the head of a cavern. The feather shone a dim, fiery red that illuminated the darkness of the cave and, upon getting rid of the itchy feather, the Phoenix opened his wings and glided through air, away from the mountain.

The people of Druuk Island watched with widened eyes and bewitched gazes as they followed the Phoenix's path, watching as the marvelous bird soared through the skies. The kids pointed and stared in youthful fascination and curiosity while the older gentlemen and ladies stood with hope blossoming on their features or, for some, with an odd sense of misplaced dread. The few who didn't feel the joys of the Phoenix had been those who had known the inevitable result of the migrating bird.

It would be soon that mercenaries and bandits alike would flood the island, seeking the glories of the phoenix feather, the wealth it carried, and the miraculous powers blessed within it. One man stared at the entrance to the mountains; a rocky climb and a perilous hike cursed with rabid beasts and the greed of humans alike. This would be a bad season, he thought.

@Aaron Marone @Jack Anders

Jack Anders · Jun 15, 2017

Stepping onto the shoreline with a renewed vigor, a dark haired man stretched fiercely while taking his first steps upon the island. Though not necessarily pausing to wait for the more heavily clad figure, he’d call out to his companion while yawning and pressing onward. “We’reeee finally hereeeee. I don’t think I coulda lasted on that damned thing for another minute. You ready?”

The two had come across a commission from a wealthy patron seeking to resurrect their recently deceased child. Though the request itself was a bit out of the way, Jack had insisted on signing aboard for one primary reason. The phoenix feather involved simply piqued his curiosity. From a medical standpoint, such wild fantasies fascinated Bao despite their lack of realism… and as a result? He had agreed to help their client and formed a contract.

While stretching his arms and neck, he’d peer about their surroundings while shuffling towards some nearby locals. After pausing a moment to gauge their attitudes towards him and the crusader in training, he’d look back and shrug at Aaron with a questioning look. “Seems like a quaint little town. Not sure if I’d want to retire here, but a fishing trip would be nice. Where to?”

@Aaron Marone

Aaron Marone · Jun 15, 2017

Aaron hurled into the ocean off the side of the boat. When he was confident he could move, he made his way onto solid ground and collapsed there. "Yeah... just, give me a moment... Gods, this game maybe goes a bit too far on the whole realism thing," he muttered, wiping his mouth. He straightened himself up and stood as tall as he could, his stomach slowly starting to feel better. "I've never been on a real boat before, I wonder if they'd affect me in real life as well," he wondered aloud.

He shook his head. "Right, no time to worry about that. We've got a dead little girl to save." Aaron peered off into the distance. "Do you have any clue where we might actually find this feather at? I don't want that father missing his daughter any longer than he has to. Yet... we also shouldn't be foolish. Trying to rush could lead to us getting injured or killed, which would delay the girl's rescue even further."

"I suppose if nothing else, we should ask the locals, see if they have any idea where we might find the feather." Aaron shifted for a moment. "It's makes you think of the morality of it all a bit, doesn't it? How alive are these NPCs? Who are we to say that one of them is able to bring a loved one back to life, but the rest of them must mourn and grieve their lost like there was no hope? Would it be better that there were no feather, so as to give no false hope? Or by presenting the feather as a hope, does it allow the NPCs to accept death more regularly, with the knowledge that if they are needed, they can be brought back? Is it something like how many people view heaven in the real world? Or... is this some cruel person's idea of just some fun quest for players, not caring what effect the existanxe of such an item in a world like this would have on its population?" Aaron asked his companion. He realized his thoughts were all over the place, but these were questions he'd pondered since receiving this quest, and he couldn't keep them bottled inside him any longer. He sighed. "We should probably get moving, sorry."

Lyre · Jun 15, 2017

Dungeon Master

"Well, welcome to Druuk Island!"

Lina Milkweed greeted the strangers. Although she was busy at the moment, helping the sailors restock supply on their ships, she was happy to see that her infamous home would receive tourists. Druuk Island wasn't known for its hospitality, after all, and the pirate problem they had along the coast had pretty much driven away any hope the islanders had for company.

Lina went off to set the boxes of goods down along the dock. There were plenty of workers here to make sure the packages got on the right ship, plus it would be simply rude to not offer two confused travelers escort on the perilous land. Lina was anything but not generous or hospitable. She offered the two a hand and the kindest smile she could give. Warmth positively radiated from her.

"My name is Lina, do you two need help exploring the island?"

@Jack Anders

Jack Anders · Jun 15, 2017

Not one to miss a beat, Jack’s hand would warmly extend to greet the girl with a handshake and a smile. Internally however the lad still found himself a bit at awe at the realism created by this system. Despite a majority of Aaron’s ramblings going in one ear and out the other, he really did have a few good points. The grounding principles behind the quest itself were a bit shaky from a moral point of view, especially when considering the unbelievable presentation of each individual NPC as set by the system. Perhaps he had gotten too caught up in the nuances behind the feather itself and prematurely signed on? He’d banish the thought for now however.

“Lina huh? It has a good ring to it.” He’d pause for a moment before rubbing the back of his head out of reflex. “The name’s Jack by the way.” A thumb pointed over his shoulder as he’d shuffle slightly to the side while introducing his companion. “He’s Aaron.”

Though the initial offer to help the two explore the island seemed quite attractive, the dark haired man would raise an eye skeptically while looking behind the girl towards the other busy bodies near the ships. “The island’s a bit dangerous to be roaming about… isn’t it? And besides, you guys seem a bit occupied right now. How about you let us help finish up over there first and then we can talk. It’ll go faster with a couple extra hands anyway, right?” He’d look back to Aaron as if asking for consent. Given the man’s personality though, Jack saw little issue with him offering to assist the locals.

@Aaron Marone

Aaron Marone · Jun 15, 2017

Aaron smiled when he first saw the cute girl. When she stuck her hand out, Aaron moved toward her to shake it, but scowled slightly when Jack beat him to her. When he did get a chance to shake her hand, he beamed at her. "Like he said, my name is Aaron, at the service of all that is beautiful in the world, and quite especially you, it seems."

This raised another question for Aaron - he'd noticed once or twice that there were quiet a few attractive NPCs in this game, and he had even heard of some of them flirting with players. The first question was one of practicality - could anything like that actually physically happen? The second was would it be moral - whether they were glorified computer programs or actually something possessive of a soul, they still were bound to this world that resided within his own, technically placing them on a lower plane of existanxe than himself. With that in mind, would consent from an NPC to a player truly be possible? Would they be able to grasp enough of the difference between themselves and a player to know what all they were getting into, in order to morally classify their consent as knowledgeable and therefore valid? Either way, he had already begun by flirting with the woman, due to an inability to control his own tongue. He'd look suspicious if he stopped suddenly...

"I agree that the island could be dangerous. We could do our best to protect you, but we could make no promises without more knowledge of what dangers we may face." Aaron looked at the work that Jack had volunteered them for and thought for a second. On the one hand, he didn't want the dead girl's father to miss her for any longer than he had to. On the other hand, she wasn't getting any more dead, and he could be a help to the people of this island. With that in mind, Aaron flashed a grin. "And of course, I would love to help out with anything needed. Though perhaps we could work and talk at the same time? I believe that good things in life should always be enjoyed when they can be, especially that of music. Whether that music be accompanied by instruments, or simply spoken words between two.... between people."

Lyre · Jun 15, 2017

DUNGEON MASTER

"Lina?" a voice shouted from faraway. The sound of yelps and the sight of people scrambling out of sight to clear a path made quite the remarkable and attention-grabbing sight. "Lina! There you are!" a young girl, who seemed to be no older than fifteen years of age, rushed from the crowd of startled and exasperated sailors, flinging herself from one side of the pier and grabbing Lina into a bear-hug right before she could accept the two men's offer for help.

"Molly," Lina sighed, giving a soft pat to the girl's back. "Can this wait? I'm sorry, but there are guests now and it would be inappropriate to leave such nice folks waiting."

Molly pouted and turned her attention away from the older woman, without releasing the orange-haired girl from her iron grip. Suddenly, her face slacked and her eyes glazed over as she attempted to discern the identities of the men who stood before her. Then, something clicked. "Wait...are you two here for the feather?" she asked, eyes and face brimming with excitement.

Without waiting for an answer, one of the spirits that floated around her—a jack-o-lantern covered in flames that didn't seem to burn the girl at the touch— hopped off and floated, eyeing the black-haired man carefully with its flames almost touching the man's nose. Then, seemingly content with what it had found, went on to focus on the blonde man before jumping back to Molly's shoulder.

"The bird came over just yesterday and, well, that's the only time we get tourists and such! Normally these guys just head straight to the mountain range, cheesy as it sounds, we never see them again. No one listens when we townsfolk say that they need a guide of some sort!" she gave a look to Lina. "You weren't planning on going up there, were you sis?"

Lina groaned, lifted up Molly's hat, and ruffled her red locks. "It's impolite to be speaking to strangers like that, Molly. I think it's best for you to go home now?"

"No way!" Molly stuck her tongue out at her before redirecting her attention to the two foreign men. "If you guys want to get that feather, the best option will be to go with me! I know the mountain terrain best and I'm not that bad at magic either!" she grinned.

Lina interrupted her: "Molly, no! It's too dangerous."

Molly, however, just continued. "No matter who tries, they all die, y'know. If you wanna go and try for it, then you better meet me at the mountain entrance right away," she said. "And sis, stop worrying! Momma told me that Capricorn was protecting us—nothing's going to happen! Anyways, see you guys there!"

She vanished in a flicker of smoke and flames. Lina merely looked at the girl's former spot worryingly before turning back to face the two men. "I am so sorry about that. Molly's just a kid and she's been wanting to go on adventures since she was a little kid."

She bowed. "I'm so sorry I couldn't take you on the tour, but I have to go and get her back home. I wish you luck and, if you need a place to stay, the Lamb Inn is just up ahead." Although she regretted abandoning the two men like this, she had to catch up to her sister. Right after she finished speaking her sincerest apologies, regret shining on her face, she began walking back to the town, the crate of goods and dock forgotten.

@Jack Anders

Jack Anders · Jun 15, 2017

A confused look was given towards his companion after the pair of sisters had left. Shrugging once helplessly, he let out a soft laugh and ran a hand through his ashen black hair. It seemed as though the man was seeking an external opinion. “Well… that was strange? It doesn’t quite sit well at face value, but what do you think? Should we meet her at the mountain entrance? Judging from what she said earlier, hoofing it on our own probably isn’t ideal either…”

He’d let out a visible frown before shaking his head once while waiting for the other man to take a few steps forward. Considering their current abilities, perhaps it’d be best for the heavier clad figure to take point? “I mean, worst case scenario we could always lay low and see how the other new arrivals handle this task. From the sound of it, this is a pretty common occurrence for these islanders. At the very least this isn’t the first time the feather’s fallen. The Lamb Inn, wasn’t it? It sounds sort of appealing anyway, especially considering how kind the boat ride was to you.” He’d let out a laugh while jesting at the man and patting his back.

@Aaron Marone

Aaron Marone · Jun 15, 2017

Aaron shared the man's confused look. "No, yeah, I definitely agree with you. That was weird as shit. That being said, I've noticed so far already that we players are a decent bit stronger than the NPCs. What's dangerous for them might not be as dangerous for us. That being said, this is a different area, the difficulty could jump drastically. I think we should scout out the area a little bit more, get a feel for things, then start moving slowly toward the cave mouth. If we end up there at the same time as that girl, well, so be it. We wouldn't send her back, that'd be dangerous as well, so keeping an eye on her would be the best bet then. Only thing, is the longer we wait the more likely someone else will take the feather."

He groaned when the man brought up his bout of seasickness. "On the one hand, some warm food and something to drink sounds like the best idea ever. On the other hand, it sounds like the worst idea ever. You know what I mean?" he asked, shaking his head. "What I want to know is what did that girl mean when she said Capricorn was protecting her? I'm curious who, or what, Capricorn is." Aaron rolled his shoulders and his neck, stretching them out to get some of the tightness from the long journey out of his system. "When we actually start getting into dangerous area, I can tank damage for the most part. My healing magic would work on either one of us, but I'm pretty used to pain."

Aaron mused for a bit. "Don't make some joke about this, but maybe we should follow that girl, actually. She's looking for her sister, her sister said she was going to the cave. Could going with her lead us directly to where we need to be? Would you be willing for us to try to catch up with her, offer to help her find her sister and bring her home?"
@Lyre

Jack Anders · Jun 15, 2017

Again, the dark haired man was at quite a loss. Unsure of how to really process their interactions with the non-player characters, he’d shake his head again before letting out an audible sigh. “No idea who that Capricorn entity is to be honest. Sounds like some constellation non-sense from our world, but who knows? It could be different here.”

After considering the man’s logic, he found little reason to refuse or reject outright. At any rate it was a better suggestion than he had come up with (as nice as lounging at an inn actually sounded). “You know what? I think you might just be onto something. Let’s give it a shot and tag along to see where lil Lina leads us to. Sound good?” Not taking too long to pause or hesitate, he’d begin jogging after the direction Lina had strolled off to.

Just what would this intriguing pair of sisters lead them to? Personally, the dark haired man sincerely hoped it’d be an easy short cut to their final destination and inevitably their prize. The world didn’t always work that way though… in fact, it rarely ever did now that he thought about it. Only time could tell however as they began their track after the older of the two siblings.

@Lyre @Aaron Marone
(Figured I'd post again just so we agreed on what we're doing/Lyre has something to respond to.)

Lyre · Jun 15, 2017

Dungeon Master

"Oh nope!"

The girl cackled, appearing in a bright flash of red light and burning flames. She gave a toothy grin at the duo and a small, mocking bow. "The great and beautiful witch Molly is here once again! And, she is here to tell you that you're not going that way!"

She jabbed her thumb into the direction the two were going and rolled her eyes with her tongue lolling out. "My sis will be back there, you see? The moment she sees you guys then she'd be dragging me off by my ear and guess what happens to adventure and fame and glory? None, zilch, nada, I tell you! So," she drawled. "We're going my way!"

The girl floated in the air, giving a confident twirl before snapping her fingers. In a moment, the red flames encircled all three of them there and, in another second, the flames rose to form a large circle, entrapping them all in there. "It's only dizzying the first few times, don't you worry!" she laughed as the flames vanished, retreating back into the earth and blown away.

She spread her arms open and winked at the two men. "This, my friends, is the shortcut to the big, scary mountain! This is also where that feather you're looking for is and where our time together starts," her eyes shine with mirth and she stretched out her hand in a manner reminiscent of Lina's own welcoming gesture.

"Are you ready?"

@Jack Anders @Aaron Marone

Aaron Marone · Jun 15, 2017

"Sounds like something astrological, which I'm not really into myself. But if they're real here, that could be used to our advantage..."

Aaron stopped when he saw the girl suddenly appear before them. "That's a neat trick," he said. "But fame, adventure, and glory aren't always all their cracked up to be. You're absolutely sure you're up for this, despite how dangerous it could be?" he asked her.

He reached for his sword instinctively when the flames began to circle around them, but when he realized it was just a very shiny teleportation spell, he relaxed. "Yeah, I'm ready. So long this is nothing like a boat. This is nothing like a boat, right?"
@Jack Anders

Jack Anders · Jun 15, 2017

His eyes narrowed as the mischievous woman reappeared before the pair once again. Though he wasn’t quite a fan of how things had been slowly unfolding, perhaps part of it could be attributed to the game itself? Whether or not this was some sort of soft barrier to corral players into properly completing a quest remained a mystery. The two didn’t have much choice however.

“Yeah sure. Nothing like a boat.” The dark haired man cracked a toothy grin at his companion before nodding once resolutely at the woman. “Take us away pixie.” An awkward laugh sounded as he steeled his nerve and prepared for the worst case scenario. “I don’t suppose that clicking out heels twice will take us back to town now, will it?” He joked anxiously while anticipating the witch to work her magic.

@Lyre

Lyre · Jun 15, 2017

Dungeon Master

"Oh man, you guys are funny!" she giggled, giving both of her captives a pat on the head. She pointed to the clearing ahead, lifting her chin up to signify where they were to go. "Y'see I can just teleport us up the mountain but there's a nasty little creature 'round here called the Chimera. It sucks out the magic out of the area faster than you can imagine and, well, I can't really do anything with it there. Just some basic teleportation and minor stuff," she pouted.

"I've been stuck here since..." she trailed off, a distant, wistful look appearing on her features and making her seem much, much older. Then, just as fast as it had flashed on her face, it disappeared and her ever-present grin was plastered on yet again. She turned to look at the two. "Oh? I think that's the beast right there!" she laughed, suddenly floating in the air. "Defeat it for me, won't you? Afterwards we can get the feather!"

A snarl broke through just as she finished her sentence, the sound inhuman and beastly in its very nature. The creature lurched towards them, hidden by the forest and, with each footstep, the sounds of breaking twigs and curled claws. A guttural, rough roar soon followed, sending several critters fleeing through the bushes. Shining, blue eyes glowed from the dark undergrowth and its hostility and vile character was personified in an eerie, dark aura which suffocated the atmosphere.

As it stepped out, a bipedal creature with the skull of a deer for a head and the thin, wiry body of an emasculated beast revealed itself. Its feet clacked and its paws cracked, each footstep making a resounding sound of the clatter and breaking of thin bone.

It sniffed the air, apparently unseeing as Molly floated right above it. "There he is, one of the strongest critters around. Even stronger than the phoenix, y'know...Capricorn..." she muttered, suddenly growing sullen at the mention of the phoenix apparently named Capricorn.

Hearing the voice, its head flickered and it gave out a roar, attempting to reach and slash Molly. Its attempt failed and it instead redirected its attention to the pair, snarling and going down onto four legs. Then, it charged fangs bared and hackles raised.

@Aaron Marone @Jack Anders

Aaron Marone · Jun 15, 2017

Aaron frowned when the girl mentioned a beast, and more so when she called it a chimera. He didn't like the sound of that one bit. When she trailed off and tried to make herself seem older and mysterious, Aaron had to suppress a chuckle. "Kid, how old are you, for real?" He asked. Briefly, though, he wondered - if the servers of this game had only been up for a few days, were all the NPCs technically only a few days old? That raised another conundrum in his whole consent curiosity.

Aaron drew his sword when the girl mentioned that the chimera was nearby. "Stronger than a phoenix?" He asked the girl. "Aren't phoenixes supposed to be some pretty powerful guardians? I think you've got yourself a lot of luck, with one of those looking out for you. Even more so that I'm here, I think..." Aaron spun his sword slowly and whistled at the beast to get its attention on him. "So what kind of creature are you, hmmm? You like like the product of holy magic, something daemonic in nature. Surely, you can smell it in the air, can't you?" He asked the creature. He could feel a certain hate inside of himself for the creature that felt equally a part of himself as it was alien, and he knew it was from his illumancy magic. "You can sense what exactly I am, or will be. Can't you?" He asked it.

Raising his sword toward the beast, Aaron began to chant. "Est quia omnis metallum. Est plus quam lex." His sword began to glow brightly, casting off a warm light. A more slightly powerful version of the spell he had used when he had saved a Terror Boar along with Dempsey, this spell would cause additional holy damage to whatever he struck with this sword.

With that, Aaron gave a battle cry and lunged toward the beast, slashing his sword in an arc toward the beast's center mass. He would end this fight as quickly as possible.